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New England Regulars
'History ': The story behind the New England Regulars name is not well known outside of Massachusetts, but every fan in the stands at Charles River Stadium, from the youngest grade school student to the oldest retiree, was raised on the tale of how pro football came to Boston, was lost and then found again. The first professional football League was formed in 1916 by Tobias “Wolf” Walker with a mere four teams. The Boston Spirit was one of those teams, along with the New York Shamrocks, Chicago Scouts and Hartford Cougars. Most football fans can talk at length about the Shamrocks, their green and white throwback jerseys still rank in the top 15 in merchandise sales, but for Boston fans, the simple Orange and white Spirit jersey is an icon of agolden age. The Boston Spirit survived the loss of many of its best players during World War I and continued on in Walker’s and Cooper’s reconstituted League in 1923. The period from 1930 thru 1937 was a low point for the Spirit, and for the League in general due to rules tampering by new owner, Judge Hugh Walker. When Walker was forced out by Cooper in 1936, the Spirit joined the rest of the original teams in Division II where, for the first time, teams would be forced to fight their way into the higher division and the right to compete in the League Championship. The Spirit rose to the occasion and in the fall of 1937, became the first Division II team to make the jump to Division I. In 1939, they won the League Championship, defeating Wichita 41-23. Sadly, the Boston Spirit came to an end in 1942. With so many men fighting the wars in Europe and the Pacific, the League could no longer sustain a 12 team roster. Commissioner Cooper consolidated the League to 6 teams. Why the Spirit weren’t selected as one of the six is a matter on conjecture, though some Spirit fans believe Judge Walker’s Boston roots were a factor. The best and brightest of the Spirit’s roster were divided amongst the remaining teams, including the Spirit’s most promising young star, first year Halfback Eric Jorgenson, who wouldgo on to become a legend with the Chicago Scouts, who rechristened their team the Marauders three years later in Jorgenson’s honor. The loss of the Spirit was a devastating blow to both the economy and the psyche of Boston. Most fans turned to baseball, basketball, alcohol or both, but little could make up for the absence of their favorite sport. It would be 50 years before football made its way back to New England. In 1992, the League was in its 3rd year of a brutal strike, brought on by a dispute between the Commissioner and the Player’s Association over drug testing. Seeing an opportunity to feed a football starved nation, venture capitalist and entrepreneur Clive Hanson started up his own five team professional football league. With his eyes already on the future, he only selected cities lacking a striking League franchise. One of the cities was Boston. Hanson, in an attempt to appeal to Boston football fans, originally intended to revive the name, logo and colors of the Spirit, but the name was still the official property of the League and the League was unwilling to sell off a piece of its history. Instead, Hanson looked further back into New England’s history, to the Revolutionary War. Anyone who has lived in or visited Massachusetts knows the pride its citizenry takes in the celebrating their role in the founding of our nation. From Boston to Cambridge, Lexington to Concord, it’s hard to go more than a few blocks in any direction without running into a statue, plaque or other memorial honoring the soldiers who fought and died in the revolution. And it is from these brave soldiers that the name of New England’s new football team was devised. Soldiers in General Washington’s Continental Army were known as “Regulars”. These were the professional soldiers, as opposed to the citizen soldiers more commonly known as “Militiamen”. The red white and blue colors of the New England team reflect the colors of the Regular uniform from the time of the Revolutionary War. The Regulars started off their franchise with a bang, literally. During the first home game of their inaugural season, one of the heavy cannons captured by Henry Knox from Fort Ticonderoga was moved from its perch in Dorchester Heights to Charles River Stadium, where it was fired one final time, to celebrate the first Regular touchdown, scored on a seven yard scramble by New England quarterback Damien Bell. The Regulars went on to win their inaugural 1992 season with a 31-14 victory over the Seattle Reign. They repeated in 1993, beating the Orlando Hammerheads in a shootout, 47-35. One year later, after merging with the League, the Regulars made history again, following in the footsteps of the 1937 Boston Spirit team by being the first team to move up from newly formed Division III to Division II. In 1999 tragedy struck when QB Damien Bell was blindsided and knocked into a severe concussion causing the league to make helmets mandatory. The winning tradition in New England is alive and well to this day, with the Regulars firmly entrenched in Division I, where their defensive secondary, lead by Vonnie Treonday, guided the team to the 2007 League Championship. However, the celebration was short lived, as accusations of cheating marred the Regular’s victory. While the coach and the players flatly deny the charges, many fans felt the allegations were the primary motivation behind Treonday’s retirement from football. 2008 opens another chapter for the New England franchise, with controversial new captain “Packrat James” shoring up the defense. Beating the Grizzlies in a 32-14 blow out james had 3 interceptions and 3 sacks, 5 tackles. While he certainly has the skills of his predecessor, many wonder if he’ll make it through the entire season without winding up behind bars. Also helping out their defense are the acquisitions of veterans, LB Ted Lawless and DE Kurt Shock. The Regulars once again win the League Championship during the second season of play, which would be the 2009 season. Team Captain (Blitz: The League) - Vonnie Treonday (CB) Team Captain (Blitz: The League II) - Packrat James (FS) Stadium: Charles River Stadium (1992-Present) New England Regulars Roster Quarterbacks ''' 1 Joe Kingman 11 Jessie Talbot 8 Joel Fairman '''Running Backs 28 Duane Banks 26 Chester Williams 21 Andre Lester Fullbacks 40 Sam Ward 38 Tyrone Pall Wide Receivers ''' 80 Ronnie Wylde 83 Marcel Freeman 81 Royce Edwards 84 Dwight Sajdak 85 Antrel Jenkins '''Tight Ends 86 Morgan Upshaw 88 Owen Reynolds 89 Tyler Connelly Linebackers ' 54 Mac Wilson ILB 55 Everett Rogers ILB 58 Ted Lawless LOLB 52 Tony Vandon ROLB '''Defensive Backs ' 24 Vonnie Treonday CB (Retired) 20 Anquan Jackson CB 38 Kevin Abel SS 21 Packrat James FS '''Special Teams 4 Jonathan Sadler K 2 Kevin Nowicki P Defensive Ends 90 Kurt Shock 93 Category:History